It's an election campaign which grows increasingly unpredictable by the day - and be in no doubt, the direction the French choose (after whichever scandals are yet to come) could have a profound impact well beyond France.

On the trajectory of the current polls, the far-right National Front (FN) candidate Marine Le Pen is a genuine possibility for the presidency.

This week an Opinionway survey for Les Echos showed the gap narrowing in the second round: Macron v Le Pen 58% to 42% or Fillon v Le Pen 56% to 44%.